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(Thursday Nights at 8pm, ABC)
"Can't you see, baby, this is perfection!”
By Susanne Miller
Let me just admit that while there have been distinct periods in my
life when I loathed the fact I was female...or maybe it was more that I
simply (and deeply) envied the advantages of being male? Yeah, probably
the latter - let’s face it, puberty can be tough! Anyway, while that
was too often the case when I was younger, it hasn't been true for a
long, long time and I thoroughly "enjoy being a girl!" This is
especially true when I see wonderfully exotic and sensual women like
Shakira or any score of beautiful Indian actresses such as Aishwarya
Rai and Bipasha Basu, to name just two, moving their bodies like
there’s no tomorrow.
Really, women rock, and what we can do with our physiques...why is it we don't rule the world yet? We should do!
But what I really like about the afore-quoted song, “Hips Don’t Lie,”
(and note that I personally abhor quoting song lyrics, so this is
definitely note-worthy) is that it's been taken on as the unofficial
anthem of Ugly Betty, a show ostensibly dealing with beautiful women like those named above, and one special one who's just a little bit different.
Now, it's true that America Ferrera, who plays the title role, in no
way resembles Shakira aside from being Latina, but she's every bit as
sexy and sassy and I love her to pieces! I adore the show even more.
It’s fantastic to finally have a television series in which the lead
actor’s ethnicity is blended and woven so well into the show’s overall
tapestry that it doesn’t become the sole focus, or a week-by-week
one-note punch line.
It’s also interesting that every time they introduce some freakish new
character I think, "Aw, too bad - it was going so well," only to be
pleasantly surprised as each one is deftly integrated into the
storylines.
This is a show that's relatively indefinable - there's intrigue,
romance, mystery, comedy, drama (family and work related)...it's truly
a mish-mash, and one that on paper shouldn’t work. It's in essence a
fish-out-of-water story, but the characters - characters that could
easily fall into the worst types of stereotypes - somehow manage to
rise above and engage the viewer, even if they're supposed to be the
villains.
From
Betty, herself, to her ‘himbo’ boss and his potentially nefarious
father; wormy little
boyfriend (soon to be ex-, I hope); sycophantic, competitive work
colleagues; darling little well-adjusted gay nephew (played by the
irrepressible Mark Indelicato, whom I want to put in my pocket and keep
forever); and subversive villainess of a creative director (played
deliciously by an edgy Vanessa Williams), to name but a few, you can’t
help but be engaged
by them. When you can care about every character on the show because
they're complex, have depth, and are acted to the hilt? Now that's good
television. The only character I dislike, as mentioned above, is
Walter the hopefully-soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, but even he has his
redeeming moments.
The show’s creators (of note is Executive Producer Selma Hayak, who now
has a regular role on the show – something she pulls off well although
I was dubious when her character first appeared) never give in - they
could have dolled America's character, Betty, up by now, but they
haven't. They've stuck to the premise without compromising either
message: that everyone's beautiful, and that it's okay to push typical
model-esque beauty standards because that's their industry…which is
pretty surprising. They can be self-deprecating without trying to
excuse themselves, too.
But most importantly, and the thing that really hooks me in week to
week, is I have no clue what's going to happen next, and it's a hell of
a ride. I'm constantly surprised, and it's generally amusing or
intriguing, if not pleasant (because you have to have balance - things
can't always turn out okay and they don’t on this show). Ooh, and let's
talk about the witty dialogue and excellent delivery. I adore
sneak-attack banter and innuendo, and while this isn’t The West Wing, it’s pretty darned clever.
As a friend reminded me, the likely reason it's so unique is that the
show is based on a telenovella, a Spanish-language soap opera-like
program, rather than being a standard US television creation; amusingly
the creators refer to this fact frequently by having the character of
Betty's father addicted to a hilariously improbably-plotted telenovella
that plays frequently in the background, and which was the source
material for the show. These telenovellas differ from traditional
daytime dramas in that things actually happen, plots develop, and you
can't necessarily go back to watching your show ten years later only to
find the same characters going through the same motions.
As such, the creators, et al, don't have to rely on the typical
US-market television fare and can take liberties with the plotting and
structure. It's an unusual and unconventional - even daring - approach,
especially considering today's socio-political climate for Latinos, and
so far it works despite their taking on highly charged topics like
illegal immigration.
Thankfully
the public and critics alike recognize quality when they see it, and
the show, and Ms. Ferrera, have justifiably won Golden Globe and Screen
Actors Guild awards, not to mention the many more nominations for those
and other awards they've received.
I'm becoming exceptionally attached and worry they can't keep up this
pace, but for the time being I'll just enjoy myself and share with
others who've come to love this show as much as I do. I don’t want to
say more about the premise because I don’t want to give away the myriad
plot twists and turns. If you haven't seen it and want to, I strongly
suggest you start from the beginning rather than jumping in now,
mid-way (there are any number of internet sources where you can view
the episodes, including ABC.com). There are quite a few characters and
subplots, but the real reason is because you should experience the
growth of affection for each character as she or he develops like we,
the fans, have. It makes for some pretty fabulous television
viewing.
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